Monster High Monday: Roller Maze Clawdeen

Long time, no Monster High Monday huh? I've just not had time for it recently as it's so very time consuming finding dupes and applying them in a way you wouldn't normally, so it's not something you can do quickly. It's back though and I thought I'd ease myself in, with something relatively simple. I have to add my attempt was a little half hearted and I was lucky it turned out as well as it did, because my head was elsewhere, spacey girl! Anyway it's glitter galore, which was rather scratchy to take off last night!  Oh and we've got a little post-Halloween effect to the photos this week!
Clawdeen Wolf is one who often changes her hair colour, which is rather lovely. For the Roller Maze line everyone had a flash of lime green in their outfit or hair and makeup, so the gorgeous lilac hair (seriously loving that hue) has lime streaks and on the lids, you'll hopefully just be able to see green before the gold and glitter. Her lips are a shade of pink that just screamed Viva Glam Gaga to me! So that was an easy find.
I started with the eyes and this is where like I say, I was a bit "hmmm, that's close enough, it'll do". I'm not much of a gold eye girl, my collection of silver and pewter on the other hand is ridiculous! So I did struggle to find the exact tone and one that had that strong metallic finish, almost like a foil. First I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion and then Lancome's Petit Tresor eyeshadow from last Christmas in S112 Fil D'or. It's not quite the right gold colour, mine was lighter and less yellow than Clawdeen, but then you also have to remember her skin is a lot darker than mine, so it's going to look different.
I applied this directly under the eyebrow down to the crease and also under the lower lashline. On the lid up to the crease is where the green goes and again I didn't have an exact match. I had one that was too yellow and lots that were too green, so I decided to mix the two. I applied the dark green first as a base, which was 17 Solo eyeshadow in Green Glimmer. Then the lime from surprise, surprise MAC's Eyes On Manish palette aka 'Monster High Monday palette' over the top. It's not a perfect match, but I guess I don't own too many lime green shadows! I ignored the black line Clawdeen has in the crease. Sometimes I feel I need it, sometimes I don't bother.
I lined upper and lower lashlines with L'Oreal SuperLiner GelMatic* and created the long flicks with L'Oreal SuperLiner Perfect Slim*. On my lashes I'm wearing Guerlain Maxi Lash and I filled my brows with L'Oreal Brow Artist* in Brunette, then it was time for glitter! I kind of went a bit overboard with the sparkles, possibly because I was applying with my finger rather than being precise. The entire gold section isn't glittery on Clawdeen, it's just a highlight really. I applied Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Gel in Backstage (antique gold) and Roadie (green). It's best to apply it to the hand and then just pick up a tiny bit and press onto the lid, so it doesn't remove the eyeshadow underneath (by swiping).
On the face I wore Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 Beige Ivoire (just bought my third bottle, as I'm using this so much) and Dainty Doll concealer in 002, using 001 as a highlighter and The Balm 'Bahama Mama' bronzer as my contour colour. I finished with Paul & Joe UV pressed Powder in 003 Beach Baby and although Clawdeen isn't wearing any blush, I wore Mark Good Glowing in After Glo.
Like I said earlier, my lips wear easy peasy. I lined with Kiss Australia Lip Liner in Cashmere and then lots of MAC's Viva Glam Gaga lipstick. Perfecto! Although the flash has washed out the colour on Clawdeen and changed the tone of my lips a bit, but in real life they were good dupes for one another. Phew, I managed it! How do you think I did? I'll have my corresponding outfit (did someone say "Little Mermaid top"?) finished later this evening hopefully.

Monster High Monday: Dot Dead Gorgeous Operetta

I have to confess that I haven't watched any of the Monster High webisodes for some time now (just haven't had time). I have seen the 'newer' character Operetta in some of the DVD releases though.  Although the way MH are releasing new characters, Operetta is pretty ancient by now! I think the doll looks more 'grown-up' than the rest of the gang (definitely not school age) and comes across as older than the others. In the cartoon series, she does have an air of maturity around her and can be quite snooty towards the others which is rather amusing! She's not an enemy of the central characters, but I wouldn't say she's in that inner circle either.
Anyway, I think she's a really beautiful doll and character. She always has pin-up, rockabilly type clothes and accessories.  Her fiery red hair with black streaks is usually styled in quiffs or victory rolls which look awesome. As the daughter of The Phantom Of The Opera, she's marked down the side of her face and on one arm and always wears a little mask to disguise that, with 'tattoo' like coverings down the arm. I think it's a unique concept to see on a doll targeted at 'children'.  Certainly in my day it was a decision between blonde or brunette, you had nothing like this to choose from!
Operetta is wearing her signature red lip here with bright pink eyeshadow paired with a rich bronze-brown and some glitter under the brow. I even tackled the beauty spot which I forgot about last time. No major issues this week, colour matching wasn't perfect but as close as I could find in my stash. Not surprising really as pink/bronze eyes and red lips aren't usually my thing.
So for the eyes, I began with Urban Decay Primer Potion. The closest pink I could find (the correct tone, but could have been a little brighter) was Anna Sui Eye Color Accent in 303. I applied this from the lashline, up to the crease using the sponge applicator in the compact for a bold effect. Thankfully I bought this palette the other week, or else I'd have been stumped for the brown shade. On Operetta it's matte, mine has a shimmery, metallic finish, but the depth of colour was correct. It's the very centre shade from the new Dior Mystic Metallic eye quad in 384 Bonne Etoile. Expensive, but really stunning, I'm so glad I bought it. Anyway, again I applied it with the sponge applicator for less glitter fall-out and to really press that strong colour on. I took this upwards and outwards and tidied it up with a little Micellar Water on a cotton bud for a perfect, straight line.   
Under the brow I'd applied Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Gel in Backstage and because it's quite green toned, I applied some gold shimmer powder over the top as Operetta mostly has gold glitter. It's a loose powder I got from a Fearne Cotton set one Christmas from Boots. My liner is L'Oreal Super Liner GelMatic* with Perfect Slim* for the flicks. On my lashes is Guerlain Maxi Lash and I finished my brows with L'Oreal Brow Artist* in Brunette.
I could not find a lipstick dark enough within my collection, so had to get creative to find the right red. It was still a little bright, but it was either red or wine and nothing in between, so I didn't have much choice. I applied Dior Lipliner Pencil in 883 Magenta Brown all over the lips (a dark purple), then Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish lipstick in Raunchy Red over the top. It looked patchy, so I reapplied and kept blotting until it looked even. I used L'Oreal Super Liner Blackbuster* pen to apply the beauty spot right next to my lip, like Operetta.
On my face is Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 with Dainty Doll concealer in 002 on blemishes and YSL Touche Eclat #2 under the eyes. I used DD concealer in 001 as my highlighting colour and The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer as my contour shade. I know Operetta isn't wearing blush, but I used some Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on my cheeks. I finished with a light dusting of Paul & Joe Pressed UV Powder in 003 Beach Baby.
The eyes were much heavier than I'd normally wear, but actually grew on me until I put the lipstick on. I think with my hair, my outfit and all those makeup colours it was a little much (not on Operetta). I loved the subtle beauty spot though and think despite the colours not being a perfect match, the look was a successful one. What do you think? Also I've just finished the outfit post to accompany this look, you can find that here along with another outfit from last week here. Three posts in one day peeps, bam!

Monster High Monday: Ghouls Rule Clawdeen

This week I decided to go all-out with MHM, in my most daring yet. I tackled a glitter mono brow, one leopard print eye and completely lilac lips. Oh yeah! Monster High released a DVD to coincide with the Ghouls Rule range and as the characters attend a Halloween party in it, the clothes, hair and makeup is a little more wild than usual. Clawdeen Wolf gets a makeover with long lilac hair and shaved leopard print sides, with crazy makeup to boot.
I'd just written my review of the new L'Oreal eyeliners when I realised I could use them to their full potential on a Monster High Monday as mad as this one. I found the Blackbuster marker pen one was the easiest to use and you can read my full review of the liners here, where I've used them more conventionally.
If you look closely at Clawdeens eye makeup, you'll notice there's actually two different shades of green around the eye. On the 'plain' eye she has a dusky green up to the brow and under the eye a brighter limey green. On the leopard eye, the dusky green then surrounds the lime under the eye. So I managed to find two colours close enough to Clawdeen, although I'm not sure you'll note the difference here in the photos as it's quite subtle. I began with Urban Decay Primer Potion and applied the green from Wet'n'Wild 'Exotic' Eyeshadow Duo from lashline to brow.  Under the eye is Bourjois Ombre Stretch in 05 Very Etirable. The plain eye then has YSL Babydoll mascara on the lashes, L'Oreal Super Liner GelMatic liner (top and bottom) and Super Liner Perfect Slim for the flick.
On the leopard eye I used the same eyeshadows, but took the WnW one under the eye along with Bourjois. Again I lined with GelMatic along the top and lower lashlines and used Perfect Slim for the flick. For the leopard print pattern, I used L'Oreal Super Liner Blackbuster. As it's like a felt tip, it's easy to work with. I angled it so I was using the pointed tip as I wanted a reasonably small pattern. I copied Clawdeen exactly in size and placement, but because I have a very large area from my eye to brow, I added a few more prints because it looked quite sparse. Then I decided to take the Perfect Slim liner and following the socket of my eye, traced a line around it like Clawdeen (on both eyes). This one bled a little, so looked a little rougher than I'd have liked but it was worth a try.  It wasn't until I started taking photos of the finished look, that I realised I'd leopard printed the wrong eye!  I didn't even think about it to be honest, just did it, oops!
I should also mention, I took some foundation over my 'leopard' brow to conceal it and took the eyeshadow up over that one. Then for the glitter, I used F2 (Fudge) Luminous Jumbo Crayon in Matisse (a copper shade) for a base, drawing over my brow and across the top of my nose, into the centre of my face. I did have a gold glitter eyeliner, but it was all dried up, so had to use NYX Candy Glitter Liner in 03 Hot Orange instead. It's definitely more orange than Clawdeen, but was all I had. I just applied it over my metallic line and let it dry.
On my face I'm wearing, Lancome Teint Miracle foundation in 005 with a little Paul & Joe Pressed UV Powder in 003 Beach Baby. I applied Dainty Doll concealer in 002 on blemishes and 001 as my highlighting colour. I used The Balm 'Bahama Mama' bronzer as a contour and applied a little Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on the cheeks.
For the lilac lips, nothing in my stash came close enough. Not MAC's Lavender Whip, Viva Glam Nicki 2 or Fashion Mews. Everything leaned a pinky lilac and Clawdeen is straight up blue lilac. So I improvised using NYC Jumbo Pencil in 866A Purple Paradise. It was spot-on! It's creamy enough to apply on the lips, although it didn't wear well.  For the benefit of the photos and task it worked well enough.
Unfortunately I didn't get to wear this look outside, click The Shoe Girl Diaries for my full outfit including my gorgeous gnome heels! I've been slammed this week and was a little disappointed that so much effort went into this look and my outfit...for nothing. You've all seen it now though, so it's not wasted entirely : ) What do you think? Definitely one of the least 'wearable', but worth a shot and perhaps inspiration for Halloween.

Monster High Monday: Dance Class Lagoona

Monday seems to come around quickly, when there's MHM and sadly, I've not had time to post anything else since last week! Today I bring you the delightful Lagoona Blue from the dance class line which launched last year. Lagoona makeup is pretty predictable (soft pink lips and a turquoise/pink eye), so I was pleasantly surprised the turquoise leaned more green and the lip was brighter on this doll. I managed to find dupes pretty easily and the application was particularly fuss-free this week.
I even attempted a wearable version of her purple brows this time! Her eyes are mostly that greeny shade but with a thin lilac line and her lips are bold and bright fuchsia. I had to edit in slightly greener eyes and was tempted to define my freckles a bit more as hers are just too cute! Sadly mine usually get caked in makeup and hidden somewhat.
Starting with the eyes, I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion and Dainty Doll eyeshadow in 008 Jungle under the eyes and on the lids, up beyond the crease. For the thin lilac line I used an old eye pencil (not sure they still make these) Rimmel Extreme Definition Two Tone Eye Definer in 010 Rock Chick (the purple end) and just sketched out the line freehand. As it was applying over the green eyeshadow, I had to use the darker purple as the lilac end was turning pale blue.  A pencil seemed like the easiest way to replicate this line.  
I'm wearing L'Oreal SuperLiner GelMATIC in Ultra Black* on both lashlines with their Perfect Slim in Intense Black for the small flicks. On my lashes is Guerlain Maxi Lash mascara and I also applied Lancome Poudre Superbe in 02 Argente as a highlighter under the brow as Lagoona has a subtle sheen there. On my brows I ran the lighter (lilac) side of that Rimmel pencil through, for a subtle purple effect.
On my face I'm wearing Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 with Dainty Doll Concealer in 001 as my highlighting shade and The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer as my contouring colour. I wore a touch of Paul & Joe UV Pressed Powder in 003 Beach Baby with Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on my cheeks.
MAC (Satin) lipstick in Hollywood Nights was the closest I could think to Lagoona's lip shade. In reality it's not quite as dark, so I decided to use Estee Lauder Automatic Pencil For Lips in 21 Fig all over my lips. It's a terracotta brown and just dulled down the bright pink slightly.
So that's it! Seemed quite simple this week, but worked well.  I was a little frustrated with how the photos turned out, because this look was rather pretty in the flesh, but the flash just made me look shiny!  You can see my full outfit (including some awesome Barbie leggings) over on The Shoe Girl Diaries now.

Monster High Monday: Scaris Ghoulia

My lovely zombie girl Ghoulia today. The face paint on this particular doll is far from perfect (smudged lip, mistakes in the eye), but my sister and I both ordered online and I chose the dodgy makeup/perfect smooth hair while she got the decent makeup and wild mane! Anyway, I think she's an especially beautiful Ghoulia despite the little flaws. She's got a bold blue and silver eye and deep reddish plum lips. The look was quite easy to replicate actually, although the colours weren't entirely spot-on, but more about that later.
So, for the eye, she has a foil-like silver which I knew I owned. The blue bit was a little more tricky to find, especially as I was looking for a matte or satin shade rather than shimmer.
I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion and applied the silver side of Too Faced Ooh & Aah duo to the lid (up to the crease) only. I didn't want to apply it all over as I wanted the blue section to remain shimmer free. Then I applied the darker side of Hard Candy Eyeshadow Loner in Daydream. It's a really old eyeshadow, but the closest colour match I could find. It applied quite sheer, so I realised it needed a pencil underneath (a little trick I use for poorly pigmented shadows). I actually wish I'd had an eye pencil in the correct shade, because it would've been easier to apply in that form rather than fiddling with eyeshadow. The one I used was Barry M in a mint colour (forgot to jot down it's name) and I just outlined and filled in the basic area of where the blue was to go. After that I applied that blue shadow over the top, patting it on. I also took it under the eye. The pencil trick definitely gave it more colour, but because of the mint green shade, it made the blue lean a little more green than I'd have liked (although not noticeably so).
Then I took the silver shadow again and applied that above the blue section, under the brow. You can't really see the foil effect it has in the close-up photo below, but it was the perfect match for Ghoulia.  Metallic and blue bold eyes aren't for the faint hearted though and I already got a snarky "you're wearing a lot of eyeshadow today" comment off my Mum. Thanks! On my lashes is YSL Babydoll mascara and I lined upper and lower lashlines with L'Oreal SuperLiner GelMATIC* in Ultra Black and softened the lower lashline by blending with a cotton bud. I then used the liquid liner, L'oreal SuperLiner Perfect Slim* in Intense Black, to create a smooth line from right in at the tear-ducts, winging it out at the other end in a long flick.
I realise I resemble a gazelle (I recall wiping it off last time I attempted this sort of thing because I thought I looked ridiculous), but it's how Ghoulia has it and it couldn't get much more strange than the colour combo I was already sporting! Or could it? Hmmm, her lips are a dark, vampy plum. Ooh-er! So, I lined lips with Dior Lipliner Pencil in 883 Magenta Brown and applied a generous coating of MAC Dark Deed (Amplified Creme) lipstick. Wicked huh?
On my face is Lancome Teint Miracle foundation in 005 with Dainty Doll Concealer in 001 (for highlighting) and 002 for blemishes. I also used The Balm 'Bahama Mama' bronzer as my contour colour and a little Pout Face & Body Illuminator in Love Glow on the cheekbones. I finished with Paul & Joe Pressed UV Powder in 003 Beach Baby and applied Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on the cheeks (all four colours swirled together).
Not my favourite look, yet I think it's very similar to how Ghoulia has it.  I guess she can carry off these colours better than I-must be that zombie grey skin!  What do you think?  You can see my full outfit right now on The Shoe Girl Diaries.